Electric
by jess2018
Summary: In this AU, Peter Parker has a cousin with a special ability. Confused and out of options, Peter and Sarah go to Tony Stark for help, who will eventually hand her off to Dr. Strange to help hone her powers and become well versed in the mystic arts. This will turn into a Cap/OC romance in later chapters, so the rating might go up a little. I hope you like it!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is an AU that will not involve infinity war, because, honestly, I think some of us aren't fully recovered from that yet! This is will turn into a slow burn romance at some point, I just haven't decided who yet (ok probably Cap) so bear with me :) and I hope you don't hate it! My fantasy is that everyone lives in Stark Tower/ Avenger Compound (also haven't decided yet) and it's peaceful and domestic for the most part, which I know is unrealistic...but can't my babies just be happy for a bit?!**

Sarah knocked on the familiar apartment door, and it quickly swung open to reveal a cheerful Aunt May.

"Hey Sweetie!" May drew Sarah in for a hug with one hand and wielded a spatula in the other, planting a kiss in her hair. "I'm so glad you could make it." She went back to the mystery concoction in the large mixing bowl and yelled,"Peter! Your cousin is here!"

Sarah set her backpack on the floor and kicked off her converse. She had spent many weekends at the Parker household in her lifetime, and each time it was like coming back home after a long time away. As she breathed in the familiar scent of floral candles and fresh, open-window air wafting from the living room, she couldn't help but wonder if May would just let her live here permanently.

"Thanks for letting me spend the weekend again on super short notice." She said warmly. It was clear in her tone how fond she was of her favorite aunt.

"You are welcome here anytime you want." May said sincerely as she adjusted her glasses and preheated the oven. "Now that school is out, Peter will probably want you to stay all summer like when you were kids. How is your mom?"

"Better I think. She's on a women's retreat with the church this weekend."

"That's great. I'm glad she's-" May was suddenly cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps thudding down the hallway.

"Hey!" Peter gave Sarah a quick hug. Ned's face lit up as he waved enthusiastically. She smiled and waved back, always charmed with Ned's infectious joviality.

"Ned, are you staying for dinner? We're having turkey meatloaf." May asked without turning away from the counter.

"Yes, please." Ned said politely.

"Come on, Ned wants to show you his lego Millennium Falcon." Peter picked up Sarah's backpack and followed Ned back down the narrow hallway.

"It's gonna look great next to the Death Star." Ned said to no one in particular with childlike amusement.

"Do they make a lego Starship Enterprise?"

"You can't like Star Trek better than Star Wars," Peter quipped as he tossed her backpack on the top bunk. "It's unnatural."

Sarah rolled her eyes and sat on the bean bag chair in the corner with a loud crunch. Peter pushed the creaky door shut and Ned flopped down on the bottom bunk.

"So May still doesn't know?" Sarah teased.

"Are you kidding? No way." Peter sat down in his computer chair and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I can't do that to her. When she freaks out, I freak out..."

"I can't believe Ned hasn't accidentally blurted it out." She laughed, wriggling herself a little deeper into the stiff, pleather bean bag.

Peter shot Ned a disapproving look, which told Sarah that he most likely had come very close on a few occasions.

"Give me some credit," Ned whined. "It's so hard keeping a secret that big."

Sarah played with the few stray legos on the floor that she could reach, letting her laughter die out into a half smile at Ned's guileless protest.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked suspiciously after a few beats of silence.

"Nothing." Her tone was short and clipped. She knew Peter would be able to sense her unrest, but she had to do her best to hide it until Ned left. He knew her the best out of anyone; she had no siblings growing up, no relatives close to her own age, except Peter.

"How long will it take to put that whole thing together?" She asked, trying to quickly change the subject before Ned noticed. He began to happily chatter about his recent purchase, completely oblivious to the silent exchange between Peter and Sarah. Peter narrowed his eyes at her, fully aware of her palpable discomfort. He was about to call her out when the door swung open.

"Dinner is ready, although it might be a tad overdone." May chuckled, fanning the air with her oven mitt.

Sarah loved how imperfect Aunt May was. She loved how her hair was never perfectly in place, but quickly thrown up in a clip. She loved the small, tidy apartment they lived in, and how nothing quite matched but still blended together in an inviting, homey sort of way. She stood up and shuffled to the kitchen table behind Ned and Peter, admiring all of the familiar kid pictures hanging up in the hallway.

Everyone sat down at the table and began passing around the meatloaf, potatoes, green beans and rolls.

"Thank you for letting me stay for dinner." Ned chirped, heaping potatoes onto his plate.

"Well, we've always got room for guests." May smiled at Ned between bites and patted Sarah's knee under the table. "Peter, take some green beans." She shoved the bowl in his direction and he made a face, reluctantly spooning a few onto his plate.

Sarah had only been here an hour and she already felt more at home here than she did with her own mother. She had loved spending summers with them when she was young, and Peter and May were the relatives she cherished most. She had been the first one Peter had called after the spider bite incident, and she had dutifully kept his secret.

"Can you pass the meatloaf?" Ned asked with a full mouth. He had already plowed through one slice. Sarah picked up the metal pan and handed it to him. As soon as he grabbed it, there was a crackling sound, and he jumped. The pan clattered to the table.

Sarah gasped. "Ned! I'm so sorry!"

"Dude, you alright?" Peter inquired.

"I think it shocked me," Ned rubbed his hand where the metal had touched him.

Peter noticed that Sarah was giving off an utterly bewildered vibe. She knew it was her fault, but it had been a pure accident. She had been trying to summon her newfound ability all day, with no outcome, and now here it shows up at the worst possible time. Naturally.

"Don't be sorry," Ned turned to Sarah. "I think I'm staticky or something."

Ned and May went back to eating and talking. Peter hadn't taken his eyes off Sarah yet, and he noticed how uneasy she was suddenly acting.

What? He mouthed, but she just kicked him under the table.

After Ned had gone home and the dinner table was cleaned up, Sarah got ready for bed and perched on the bottom bunk while Peter sat at his cluttered desk. He pretended to check Youtube, worriedly glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. He knew something wasn't right. She was more like a sister than a cousin, almost like a twin with how close their birthdays were, except she was a few years older. They loved all the same things, listened to all the same music, enjoyed all the same movies. He was unsettled for the rest of dinner when he couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Suddenly, she broke the silence. "I have to tell you something weird."

His eyes went wide and he spun around in his computer chair. She had probably been waiting for them to be alone all evening.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The worry apparent in his voice.

"Remember when I was here the other day and we were playing with that purple alien rock before you realized it was a bomb?

"Yeah."

"Remember when it shocked me and I had all those weird lines in my hand?"

"Yeah..."

"I thought everything was fine. And the lines even went away. But then, last night, my mom and I got in a fight."

Peter looked at her sympathetically, silently urging her to continue. He knew the history there and all the problems she'd had with her mother since the divorce.

She paused for a minute and fiddled with the hair tie on her wrist, as if she was replaying the confrontation in her head. "She said that she wanted me to move out, which I was planning to anyway. She said it was my fault that the divorce happened the way it did. I lost my temper and called her a bitch."

"Wow. What did she say to that?"

"Well, I started to walk away, but she grabbed my arm, like, don't you walk away from me young lady. Something happened, like a blue flash, kind of crackly like electricity. That's what it felt like anyway, like a shock went through my whole body."

Peter's mouth was open at this point. "You shocked her?"

"Not on purpose! It was an accident." Sarah's eyes welled up a little, but she quickly dabbed at them with her sleeve. "I think that's why she left on that women's retreat last minute." She let out a shaky sigh and nervously chipped at her nail polish, feeling a little bit of weight lift off her shoulders.

Peter knew she was telling the truth. He knew this was big, and not just some accidental static charge she built up by walking around the living room carpet with her shoes on. It didn't even cross his mind to question the validity of her story; they had always been genuine and blunt with one another, and he knew she could't make something like this up.

"Does it hurt? Are there side effects?" Peter leaned in to inspect her face. "Are you gonna be ok?"

"I feel fine, Peter." She swatted him away. "Actually, I feel great. Aside from the fight, and almost giving my mother a heart attack, and..."

He shot out his hand in front of her. "Do it. Shock me."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"It's ok, you won't hurt me." He sat there waiting with his arm outstretched.

She stood up, frustrated, quickly knotting her hair into a bedraggled bun. "I don't think I know how to control it. I've been trying since last night."

"Have you thought about seeing a doctor?" Peter lowered his hand to his lap.

"No way! They'll probably run a bunch of tests, or stick me in a lab. I don't know." She began to nervously pace around the small room, stopping in front of the saggy looking bean bag and poking it with one sock foot. Peter kept his computer chair pointed in her direction as she moved about.

"Maybe Mr. Stark would know what to do." Peter reached for his phone and dialed Happy without waiting for Sarah's permission. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't just a little bit worried about her overall health. As she climbed up to the top bunk, she listened to Peter leave an awkward voicemail in Happy's inbox and wondered why Mr. Stark would even be bothered with the problems of a 20 year old girl he'd never even met before.

"Are you scared?" He asked, ending the voicemail and setting his phone down on a stack of school books.

Sarah paused, truly thinking it over. "Yes." She rolled to the edge of the top bunk, leaning up against the railing and looking at Peter.

"But this is so cool." He muttered. She couldn't help but laugh a little at his misplaced excitement. He sat quiet for a minute, and Sarah let her eyelids slowly drift shut. She doubted she would sleep much tonight, but it'd be better knowing she was close to Peter and May.

"I'm glad you're ok though." Peter pulled something up on his computer, then stood up, turned off the light, and climbed into the bottom bunk while Star Trek: Into Darkness began to play on the small screen. She was touched that he'd put on her favorite movie to fall asleep to. She propped herself up and leaned over the railing to get a better view of the bunk below. Peter was already cozied up with a flashlight and a colorful comic book.

"Thanks." She smiled sleepily.

The door creaked open and a pajama-clad Aunt May peeked in. "Goodnight, you two, don't stay up too late."

"Don't worry, we will." Peter remarked quickly, hiding behind his comic, peering at May to see what she would do. She walked in, plucked the book out of his hands, and playfully swatted him with it. Sarah fell into a fit of giggles and May tossed the comic back to him, smirking triumphantly. She reached up to the top bunk, still smiling, and patted Sarah's arm in a loving gesture.

"Don't forget, we're going to breakfast in the morning." She slipped out and left the door cracked behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

It was still very early on Saturday morning when Sarah woke up to Peter's phone buzzing for the 6th time.

"Pete, snooze!" She complained as she lazily pulled the pillow back over her head. Peter mumbled incoherently as he groggily forced himself out of bed to grab his phone off the desk. He peered at the screen through sleep-hazed eyes as he crawled back under the covers, laying silent for a moment before realization suddenly set in.

"Oh my god. Sarah." The shock in his voice was evident, but the only answer he received was a light snore.

"Sarah, _wake up_." He gave the underside of the top bunk a swift kick.

"But were not going to breakfast until 10." She rasped, hearing Peter leap out of bed and fumble around. She curiously cracked open an eye and found two big brown ones staring back at her over the bunk bed railing. She stared back, unwavering in her resolve to stay cozy.

"I have 4 missed calls and 2 voicemails from Happy." Peter's breathy whisper was slightly frenzied. Sarah propped herself up on one elbow while his words took a second to sink in.

"I didn't think he'd actually call you back!" Sarah said in a panicked whisper. They both knew Aunt May was awake already, probably sipping her coffee and watching the news. The bedroom door was still cracked from last night, and she hoped the TV would drown out their voices.

"I changed my mind. I don't want Mr. Stark to know anymore." Sarah sat bolt upright, looking every bit as nervous as she felt.

"What!?" Peter stepped down off the edge of the bed, still clutching his phone. "It's too late now! Why didn't you tell me that last night _before_ I called Happy?"

"I don't know!" She threw her hands in the air. They were mostly concealed under the baggy sleeves of her pajama top.

Before Peter could reply, his cell began to vibrate in his hand. Both of them stiffened slightly as he pressed the phone to his ear. "Happy?"

"Hey kid, it's me."

"Mr. Stark! I-"

"Is your cousin still there?"

"Y-yeah, how did you know?" Peter eased himself into his computer chair, fidgeting slightly.

"Happy told me. Listen, I hope you aren't super busy right now because I would love to swing by and meet this mystery relative of yours. From what Happy said, she sounds pretty...shocking."

Peter ignored the lame pun. "Like, right now? Um, yeah, I think that would be ok, let me just ask if-"

"I'm almost there, buzz me up in 20 minutes."

 _Click._

"He's gonna be here in 20 minutes!" Peter half whispered, half yelled as he shot up out of his chair, making it roll backwards and smack the desk loudly.

"Are you kids awake?" May's voice echoed from down the hall, followed by soft, slippered footsteps. They both stood there, dumbfounded, still donning jammies and bedhead. May pushed the door open and peeked in.

"Do you wanna get dressed so we can go to the diner?" She smiled, but it quickly dropped as she studied Peter's face. "What's wrong?"

Peter and Sarah exchanged a look. "Mr. Stark wants to stop by for a visit." He said.

"Oh." May brightened again. "What's wrong with that?"

"He's on his way, he'll be here in 20 minutes." They both braced themselves for the impending criticism.

"Right now?" Her eyebrows raised in irritation. She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand and squeezed her coffee cup in the other. "Have to tell you, not a fan of that Tony Stark. What does he want at 8:30 on Saturday morning?" Her voice inflected with slight annoyance.

Sarah watched the uneasiness manifesting on Peter's face. "Um...he didn't say. Probably about the summer internship."

May let out a frustrated sigh. "This should be interesting." She gave them a parting smile and made her way to her own room to get dressed. As soon as she was out of ear shot, the whispers began again.

"I'll just stay in here." Sarah stated matter-of-factly. "You can talk to him for me."

"What? You can't do that, the whole reason he came was for _you_. It will be fine, I promise." He reassured her, then quickly grabbed a changed of clothes and made a mad dash for the shower.

Sarah locked the door behind him and got dressed quickly as she tried to wrap her head around the events unfolding in front of her. Suddenly out of nowhere, she had been blessed, or cursed, with this strange new ability that she knew absolutely nothing about, and now Iron Man himself wanted to meet her. Anxiety began to slither up inside, making her feel hot and dizzy. She steadied herself by grabbing the railing of the bunk bed, but as soon as she made contact, a spike of electricity shot through the metal frame with a loud _ZAP._ Sarah jumped back and let out a squeal. Thank goodness May's door was closed.

It was strange to her that she found instant relief in letting off that accidental shock. The hot flash that had such a sudden onset immediately diminished in the wake of the erratic blue sparks.

And maybe, _just maybe,_ meeting Mr. Stark was a good thing after all. She wanted help, and she wanted it soon.

Tony arrived exactly 20 minutes later, like clockwork. Sarah, who was now dressed with teeth brushed and hair combed, sat next to Peter on the couch, who's hair was still wet from his rushed shower. May opened the front door.

"Tony, hi, come in." She sounded sweet and polite, putting on her biggest smile, even though Sarah knew she found Tony's visit inconvenient and ill timed.

He strode in confidently, giving May a nod and a "thank you."

He wasn't a tall man, but his overall persona exuded authority, and his presence in the room commanded immediate attention. Sarah couldn't take her eyes off him. She'd never seen a famous person up close before. He slid off his sunglasses and slipped them in the collar of his shirt.

"Look alive, Pete!" Tony winked at Peter as May showed him into the living room. "Did you get my voicemails?"

"Hi Mr. Stark, uh, no...I didn't get-"

"That's ok." He unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down opposite Peter, gesturing at Sarah. "Is this your friend?"

"Cousin, actually. This is Sarah."

"Nice to meet you," Tony nodded before quickly moving on. "Ok, I'll get right to the point. I've got a proposition for you."

"Can I get you something to drink first?" May chirped from the kitchen.

"That would be wonderful, thank you." Tony replied without his usual sarcasm. He pointed to Sarah and silently mouthed, "Is this her?"

Before Peter could answer, May reappeared with a cup of coffee and set it on the coffee table in front of Tony.

"So, what can we do for you Tony?" May sat down in the recliner and eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, now that we're all moved in to the new compound upstate, I think it's important that Peter sees where we're at and what we're working on. And since school is out, I think this would be the perfect time to get Peter started in the summer program at Stark Industries. We have quite a bit of restructuring in the works, and I need my brightest intern front and center."

Peter's eyes widened fractionally before stealing a quick glance at his aunt. Sarah was also trying to assess May's mood, and thankfully, she looked impressed.

"I've outlined the whole week for you to take a look at..." Tony trailed off and began to pat down his jacket. "Shoot. I must've left it behind.

"So is this like an 8-5 thing?" May inquired, her gaze locked on Tony.

"Actually, we would provide room and board. For Mr. Parker and a guest of his choosing."

Sarah could sense Peter's palpable excitement threatening to boil over.

"Wait, a guest?" May leaned forward, looking perplexed. "I've never heard of a program that offers interns to bring guests along, what kind of internship is this exactly?"

Tony began to fade back into his presumptuous old self again. "Well, look who you're talkin' to." He smiled wide. "We've never been a conventional sort of company. Peter will be working with me directly, along with Dr. Bruce Banner. It's possible we could make this count for a college credit."

"Dr. Banner?" Peter breathed.

"That's right, kid, it's about time you meet the world's leading authority in gamma radiation."

It took an hour or so of Tony hashing out every detail with Aunt May before she decided that, perhaps, it was a good idea after all. Once she had finally agreed, Tony stood up, thanked May for her time, and turned to Peter.

"So, have you decided who you want to bring?"

"Uh, yes. I want to bring my cousin." Peter turned to Sarah. "She's a big fan of Dr. Banner."

"You are?" May cut in, furrowing her brow at her timid niece. "I didn't know that."

Sarah was quietly looking from May to Tony, and back again, when Peter nudged her with his elbow.

"Yes!" She piped, a little over-enthusiastically. "I love him. And science. So neat."

May rubbed her chin. "Hmm. I don't recall that..."

"So, are we ready to go then?" Tony quickly changed the subject and slid his designer sunglasses on. "Happy is waiting in the car."

"Right now?" Peter blurted out.

"Uh, yeah," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What do you think I came all the way here for?"

Peter looked at May for approval. Thankfully, Tony had spent that last hour talking her in circles, so that by this point, she was too worn out to protest.

"Well, I suppose I can't let you pass up an opportunity like this. You'd better pack quickly." She smiled as Peter excitedly jumped up from the couch. "Tony, you'd better take care of them. These kids mean the world to me."

"You have my word." Tony winked at Sarah. "Don't worry, nothing too dangerous."

Twenty minutes later, Peter and Sarah stood in the doorway, holding their overnight bags. Sarah was already living out of a bag, so it took her very little time. Tony had already gone downstairs.

"Remember, if you want to come home early, you call me right away." May patted Peter's cheek and gave him a hesitant smile. "I'm so proud of you." She squeezed him in a tight hug.

"You know I'm only gonna be gone a week, right?" He returned her hug and patted her comfortingly on the shoulder.

"Ok, ok, you're right, I'm sorry." She huffed, then turned to Sarah. "The same goes for you too, Sweetie. If you wanna come home early, just say the word." May hugged Sarah just as tight and exchanged I love you's with them as she watched them leave, reluctantly closing the door behind them.

As the two of them rode the elevator down from the 7th floor, neither of them could contain their excitement.

"I can't believe this is happening." Sarah breathed, slightly panicked.

"I know! This is going to be the best week of my life!" Peter bellowed in the small elevator.

"Do you really think he's going to be able to help me?" She lamented hopefully. Peter had nearly forgotten in his excitement that Sarah was the whole reason Tony had come to collect them as quickly as he did.

"If anyone can help you, he can." The elevator doors opened, and Peter and Sarah made their way outside just as Happy was popping the trunk. They threw their bags in, slammed it shut, and climbed into the backseat where Tony had been waiting somewhat patiently.

"Ok, what's going on here?" He looked from Peter, to Sarah, and back to Peter again. When he realized Peter was hesitating, he prompted him again. "Spill, kid."

Peter began to go into all the details and events involving the alien tech they had been playing with and everything else leading up to that day, but leaving the part out about the fight Sarah had with her mom. He knew she was sensitive to that, and she appreciated him for it.

Tony listened to every word, not once interrupting to ask questions or make comments.

"Well, I think the first thing we need to do is have you checked out, head to toe. Well start with a full neurological assessment. Are there any side effects?"

"Not so far." Sarah said timidly.

The whole ride there was filled with questions from Tony and mostly answers from Peter, since Sarah too anxious to properly explain herself. Thankfully Peter knew this without Sarah needing to tell him.

"Thanks for helping, Mr. Stark." Peter said as the car slowed to a stop in front of the compound.

"Don't mention it." Tony opened the car door, then paused. "Actually, I take it back. You can mention it." He smiled as he climbed out, clearly pleased with himself.

Tony showed them inside and gave them a brief tour of the compound, which still seemed to take forever, because the place was huge. Sarah was sure it was the largest building she had ever seen, with a library, a screening room, an indoor pool, inside and outside training grounds, an industrial kitchen, a gym, a common area that looked like an enormous living room, a laboratory, and hallway after hallway of what she thought must have been a thousand bedrooms. Tony came to a stop outside one of the rooms.

"Well, Pete, this one's all yours. What do you think?"

Peter spun a full 360 degrees, mouth hanging open. It was three times as big as his room at home.

"It's amazing, Mr. Stark, thank you." He flopped over backwards are the large bed, limbs outstretched. "Can I stay here forever?"

"Actually, I do need to talk to you about that. But first," Tony said eagerly, "I'm gonna show Sarah where her room is. Hang tight, we'll be right back."

Tony gestured for Sarah to follow him, and as they walked, Sarah could hear Peter's muffled voice from the bathroom, yelling about the TV that was strategically placed above the bathtub. He started with a bit of light hearted conversation to break the ice. He pointed to the first room they passed after Peter's.

"This is Vision's room. He's not real big on doors. Or walls. But he's learning." He smiled and stopped in front of the next door. "This is your room." He turned the handle and let the door swing open wide. It was clean and simple with an open, airy sort of vibe. Sarah shyly stepped inside, a blast of AC kissing her face. The layout of her room was very similar to Peter's, with a private bathroom and walk in closet. It was probably the nicest room she had ever stayed in. Even it was only for a week.

"Thank you." Sarah smiled half heartedly.

The excitement on Tony's face quickly faded. "What's wrong?"

Sarah hesitated, sliding her hands into her jacket pockets as she sat down on the corner of the plush looking bed. It was so soft she felt like she might sink to the floor. "Am I gonna be ok, Mr. Stark?"

"Knowledge is key, my dear." He smiled warmly at her as he began to pace around the room, hands clasped behind his back. "I know quite a bit about the alien tech that gave you your ailment."

Sarah was silent for a beat as a wave of relief set in.

"Of course you're gonna be ok," Tony sat down next to her. He studied her face a little before he spoke. "We're gonna take care of you. Do you trust me?"

She smiled, and Tony took it for a 'yes'. He was so kind. They had only just met a few hours ago and already she felt better with Tony than she did at home. But that didn't really count, she'd rather be _anywhere_ than be at home.

And the relationship between him and Peter was like one she hadn't seen before. Peter still addressed him as Mr. Stark, but she was pretty sure there was something more between those two. They were much closer than everyone around them probably realized, and if Peter called him 'Dad' instead, Tony would most likely just go with it.

"When I told Peter I needed help, you were the first person he mentioned." She thought back to last night, having no idea she'd end up here in just 12 short hours.

Tony puffed out his chest a little, clearly pleased. "Yep, that's my boy." He sighed proudly as he stood up and made his way for the door. He paused on the way out, bouncing on his heels with excitement.

"After lunch, let's meet up in the lab. Deal?" He pranced away without letting her answer. She could hear his footsteps fading down the hallway, and then voices as he must've ran into someone.

This man she had just met a few hours ago was more generous and kind than she had realized. Sarah breathed deep and felt relaxed for the first time in a while, knowing that out of all the hands to be in, Tony's was probably the best. This week was definitely going to go by fast, and she felt the same way Peter did. Couldn't she just live here forever? And May could have the room next door?

Sarah jumped and bounded for the door in a mad dash to get back to Peter's room. Just as she emerged in the hallway, she smacked face first into another person and nearly toppled over.

"I'm so sorry!" The tall stranger clamored in alarm. "Are you alright?" He gently clasped her elbow in one of his huge hands to help her find her balance, and let go almost too quickly. Sarah pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up into his bigger, blue ones.

Her heart did a small flip when she realized she was standing in front of Captain America himself. He seemed massive in person, and she felt like she had to crane her neck to look up at him. When she didn't answer, he spoke again.

"Hi, I'm Steve." He held out his hand for her to shake and he smiled down at her.

"I'm Sarah." She finally squeaked out, putting her tiny hand in his. His hand felt hot on hers, and the heat sparked a bit of excitement in her chest, which she was sure he reciprocated by the look in his eyes. "I'm Peter Parker's cousin."

"I heard," Steve said, not breaking eye contact. "Tony said we were going to be having guests this week." He held her hand a fraction of a second longer than she had expected him to, and he only let go when a voice came from behind them.

"Are you ready to go? Or are you too busy flirting?" Sam appeared behind Steve seemingly out of nowhere. Steve turned an adorable shade of pink.

"How you doin'?" Sam stuck out his hand for Sarah to shake. "I'm his wing man. So can you shoot webs too?" He laughed at his own pun, being a literal wing man.

"Not quite." Sarah chuckled, rocking nervously on her heels.

"What do you do, then?" Sam pressed.

"What makes you think I can do something?"

"Well, you're here, aren't you?" Sam put his hands face up, gesturing to the building as a whole.

Sarah fidgeted in place, painfully aware that Steve still hadn't taken his eyes off her. His gaze felt invasive, like he could see right through her, and her heart picked up it's already quickening pace. "If you can guess, I'll tell you if you're right."

Steve cocked an eyebrow, as if to say, 'challenge accepted', and Sam narrowed his eyes, examining her closely, as if she would have some physical feature that might be telling. After a few seconds, he stepped back.

"We have to run, but we'll be back, and were gonna guess what it is." Sam smirked. "Nice to meet you, Sarah."

Sarah couldn't help but beam a little as Steve gave her a lopsided parting grin and reluctantly followed Sam down the hallway.

As she watched him walk away, he leaned over and whispered something in Sam's ear, until they both disappeared around the corner, and even though they were gone, she felt like her heart my pound out of her chest.

 _I think I'm going to like it here._

 **A/N: Thank you for reading!**


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